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While in a village burdened by the Fire Nation's pollution; Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help the village.<ref name="The Painted Lady">{{cite episode|title=The Painted Lady|airdate=2007-10-05|season=3|number=3|credits=Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Joshua Hamilton|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> While staying with an old woman the group meets in the woods, they find one of the last Southern Waterbenders before Katara, Hama. Hama was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison, and discovered a new kind of waterbending while imprisoned. She tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe and ''blood''bending. When Katara refuses to learn this technique, Hama bloodbends Aang and Sokka, forcing Katara to use that power herself to save her friends.<ref name="The Puppetmaster">{{cite episode|title=The Puppetmaster|airdate=2007-10-25|season=3|number=8|credits=Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: Tim Hedrick|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> Katara isn't seen doing very much in the next 3 episodes other than helping heal Toph's feet which were burned. In "The Western Air Temple", when Zuko offers to join, it is Katara who makes the first move to attack him and send him off. At the end of the episode Katara makes a threat to Zuko that if she so much as thinks he's going to hurt Aang, she will end Zuko's life. However, in "The Southern Raiders", Zuko helps Katara find the man who killed her and Sokka's mother, Kaya. She sets out with the intent to kill him, but ultimately finds she can't do it.
While in a village burdened by the Fire Nation's pollution; Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help the village.<ref name="The Painted Lady">{{cite episode|title=The Painted Lady|airdate=2007-10-05|season=3|number=3|credits=Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Joshua Hamilton|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> While staying with an old woman the group meets in the woods, they find one of the last Southern Waterbenders before Katara, Hama. Hama was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison, and discovered a new kind of waterbending while imprisoned. She tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe and ''blood''bending. When Katara refuses to learn this technique, Hama bloodbends Aang and Sokka, forcing Katara to use that power herself to save her friends.<ref name="The Puppetmaster">{{cite episode|title=The Puppetmaster|airdate=2007-10-25|season=3|number=8|credits=Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: Tim Hedrick|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon}}</ref> Katara isn't seen doing very much in the next 3 episodes other than helping heal Toph's feet which were burned. In "The Western Air Temple", when Zuko offers to join, it is Katara who makes the first move to attack him and send him off. At the end of the episode Katara makes a threat to Zuko that if she so much as thinks he's going to hurt Aang, she will end Zuko's life. However, in "The Southern Raiders", Zuko helps Katara find the man who killed her and Sokka's mother, Kaya. She sets out with the intent to kill him, but ultimately finds she can't do it.


During the Sozin's Comet two-hour premiere, Katara goes with Zuko to stop Azula from becoming Fire Lord. When Azula and Zuko clash, Azula attempts to blast Katara with lightning. Zuko, however, jumps in the way, and is badly wounded, forcing Katara to chain Azula to a sewage cage. She heals Zuko and they wait for the outcome of Aang's battle with Fire Lord Ozai. When the war ends, she is seen in Ba Sing Se, living a peaceful life, with her new boyfriend, Aang.
During the Sozin's Comet two-hour premiere, Katara goes with Zuko to stop Azula from becoming Fire Lord. When Azula and Zuko clash, Azula attempts to blast Katara with lightning. Zuko, however, jumps in the way, and is badly wounded, forcing Katara to chain Azula to a sewage cage. She heals Zuko and they wait for the outcome of Aang's battle with Fire Lord Ozai. When the war ends, she is seen in Ba Sing Se, living a peaceful life.<!--
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Revision as of 23:57, 19 August 2008

Katara
Voiced byMae Whitman
In-universe information
AliasesThe Painted Lady Sapphire Fire
GenderFemale
PositionMain Character
NationalityWater Tribe (Southern Tribe)

Katara is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman.

In the show, fourteen-year-old Katara is a Waterbending master from the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe, a race of people who can control and manipulate water.[1] She is the last remaining Waterbender of her entire Tribe because of continuous raids on her village by the Fire Nation. She, along with her older brother, Sokka, discover an Airbender named Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the imperialistic Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.[2]


Creation and conception

According to the unaired pilot episode included on the Avatar Complete Book 1 Collection DVD set, Katara’s name was originally Kaya, but was changed. The name Kaya would be later used for her and Sokka's mother. [3] In “Tales of Ba Sing Se”, Katara’s name was written as 卡 塔 拉. Kǎ (卡) means to check, block, or card; Tǎ (塔) means pagoda; and Lā (拉) means to pull.[citation needed] The character Lā is the same La as the Ocean Spirit’s name from the season one's finale, while the character for Kǎ also appears in Sokka's name.[4]

In the commentary of the unaired pilot episode, co creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino state that Katara's “hair loopies” used to hang down but was changed because the animators said it would be too hard to animate and suggested that they’d be looped back rather than beaded locks.[3]

Katara also is the owner of her grandmother's betrothal necklace. Her grandmother handed it down to Katara’s mother, who handed it down to Katara. The necklace is a blue choker, with the water tribe insignia carved on the only hanging ornament.

Plot Overview

Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. When Katara was eight years old, her mother gave her life for her daughter's during a Fire Nation raid in order to protect her identity as the only Waterbender in the tribe. Katara managed to locate her mother's killer, but was unable to kill him due to an internal ethical conflict.[5]

Though her interests lie in developing her waterbending skills, she resigns herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior. At twelve, Katara’s father, Hakoda, and the other tribesmen journey to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This leaves her, alongside her brother and grandmother, Kanna ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe.[6]

The events of Avatar: The Last Airbender begin two years following this, during a spearfishing expedition, when Katara and Sokka find Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. Katara frees him and comes to discover that Aang is the Avatar. With a common goal of mastering waterbending, Katara, along with her brother, joins Aang in the journey to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master to teach them.[7] Upon arrival, Master Pakku refuses her apprenticeship, because she is female.[8] However, after noticing an engagement gift he gave to Katara's grandmother half a century ago, he agrees to teach her.[8] Katara advances so quickly in her art during their stay in the Northern Water Tribe that Pakku formally deems her capable enough to be Aang's waterbending teacher. [9]

The second season opens with Katara leaving the North Pole, and receiving water from the Spirit Oasis.[10] Katara then journeys with Aang to the Earth Kingdom for him to learn earthbending.[10] While at an Earth Kingdom stronghold, General Fong places Katara’s life in danger in an attempt to get Aang to enter the Avatar State.[10] After Toph joins the group to teach Aang, Katara and Toph often end up in fights and disagreements. While in Ba Sing Se, Aang is mortally wounded, but Katara is able to save his life using the water from the Spirit Oasis.[11]

While on the ship that the group obtains to get to the Fire Nation in the third season, they are attacked by another Fire Nation ship that discovered their false identity, Katara aids in their escape.[12] While in a village burdened by the Fire Nation's pollution; Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help the village.[13] While staying with an old woman the group meets in the woods, they find one of the last Southern Waterbenders before Katara, Hama. Hama was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison, and discovered a new kind of waterbending while imprisoned. She tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe and bloodbending. When Katara refuses to learn this technique, Hama bloodbends Aang and Sokka, forcing Katara to use that power herself to save her friends.[14] Katara isn't seen doing very much in the next 3 episodes other than helping heal Toph's feet which were burned. In "The Western Air Temple", when Zuko offers to join, it is Katara who makes the first move to attack him and send him off. At the end of the episode Katara makes a threat to Zuko that if she so much as thinks he's going to hurt Aang, she will end Zuko's life. However, in "The Southern Raiders", Zuko helps Katara find the man who killed her and Sokka's mother, Kaya. She sets out with the intent to kill him, but ultimately finds she can't do it.

During the Sozin's Comet two-hour premiere, Katara goes with Zuko to stop Azula from becoming Fire Lord. When Azula and Zuko clash, Azula attempts to blast Katara with lightning. Zuko, however, jumps in the way, and is badly wounded, forcing Katara to chain Azula to a sewage cage. She heals Zuko and they wait for the outcome of Aang's battle with Fire Lord Ozai. When the war ends, she is seen in Ba Sing Se, living a peaceful life.[15]

Waterbending

File:Katara.jpg
Katara waterbends swamp water to save her brother from the Foggy Swamp Monster

Katara's abilities have greatly improved since the very first episode. At the outset, she, at best, waterbent by luck. She had little control over her waterbending and often needed someone else to help her defeat an opponent, though her temper, which would increase her waterbending tenfold, would often get in the way by causing unnecessary destruction. However as time went on, thanks to practicing diligently and studying a waterbending scroll and then studying under Master Pakku, her waterbending rapidly improved, to the point that she was considered a Waterbending Master, surprising Master Pakku as being one of his best students by far.

Katara can use water to cut through objects, can summon lashing waves and whips of varying sizes, cover herself with a sheath of water and manipulate it at will, surf on a surfboard made out of ice, melt and control existing ice, forming it into various shapes, and can freeze water and objects surrounded by water with little effort, create giant walls of mist and steam, transform steam into ice instantly, evaporate large amounts of water. Katara once used the water from her own sweat to break herself out of a wooden jail-cell.[16] She has learned from Hama to use and take the water from the moisture in the air, in plants and underground within the Earth. She also has learned from Hama to manipulate people and animals using the water within their bodies through a rare and sinister form of waterbending that can only be used during a full moon called "Bloodbending."[14] She has used bloodbending against Hama to stop her from harming Aang and Sokka, albeit reluctantly, and again on an individual who she had thought had killed her mother, this time without remorse.

Katara has proven herself a very powerful Waterbender, most notably during her duel with the veteran Waterbending witch, Hama, in single combat, bloodbend effectively first time around and hold her own against Sokka, an upcoming swordsman, and Aang, the Avatar, when Hama was manipulating their bodies against their will. She also has shown to be nearly as skilled as Aang even though he can bend more elements. She was able to hold her own against Zuko, and even turn the tides on Zuko's sister Azula.[14] In the midst of their battle, Master Pakku was so impressed that he, grudgingly, had to admit that she is a powerful waterbender in her own right and later deemed her a master Waterbender under his study.[8][10]

Katara is one of the few waterbenders born with the Waterbending sub-talent to heal using water as a catalyst, manifesting itself when she was burned by a reckless Aang.[17] Her ability to heal has only proven to get better under the tutelage of the Northern Water Tribe's Head Healer, Yugoda. She has used it to relieve sickness,[13] temporarily undo brainwashing,[18] heal seemingly mortal wounds such as burns and bleeding injuries,[12] and even the almost dead with the help of the magical water from the Spirit Oasis.[11] Her healing powers do have limits though as she can't cure all sicknesses, can't completely undo brain damage, and can do little for internal injuries and disfigurement like birth defects.[18]

Katara's weakness has always been her fear of certain individuals such as Prince Zuko and Ty Lee, depending heavily on the use of her arms to waterbend and her traditional avoidance of close combat, specifically hand-to-hand, but there have been exceptions.[19][8]

Characteristics

Being another protagonist of the show, Katara also receives a lot of attention from reviewers. She is described as "Smart, capable; almost a generic anime heroine".[20] In addition to these features, she also is "kind, brave, and passionate."[21]

Katara is also very nurturing, acting as den mother for the group. She usually cooks their meals and washes their clothes and personally takes responsibility for her brother, Sokka, and later Toph, and especially Aang. Her maternal instincts, while with good intentions, can make her overly nagging and bossy.

In addition to that she is very stubborn, often butting heads with the abrasive, independent and often hygenically challenged Toph. She is flawed in that she feels that she has to help everybody and is also somewhat naive, leading to Katara getting hurt, usually by other boys, such as Jet.

Appearances in other media

Katara's character has appeared in both THQ's video game for the show, which are Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game)[22] and Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth.[23][24] Like Aang, Katara also appears on some Avatar T-shirts sold by Nick,[25] as well as in Tokyopop's films comic (sometimes referred to as cine-manga).[26]

References

  1. ^ Pittarese, Frank (2006). "Nation Exploration". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 2.
  2. ^ "The Avatar Returns". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1 (Book 1). Episode 2. 2006-02-21. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Written and Directed by: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko; Voices: Mitchel Musso as Aang and Mae Whitman as Kya. Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book One Box Set (DVD). Nickelodeon. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writers: Joann Estoesta, Lisa Wahlander, Andrew Huebner, Gary Scheppke, Lauren MacMullan, Katie Mattila, Justin Ridge, Giancarlo Volpe (2006-09-29). "Tales of Ba Sing Se". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 15. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton, John O'Bryan (2008-07-18). "The Ember Island Players". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 57. Nickelodeon.
  6. ^ Director: Dave Filoni; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (2005-02-21). "The Boy in the Iceberg (Introduction)". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 1. 0-1 minutes in. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Director: Dave Filoni; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (2005-02-21). "The Boy in the Iceberg". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 1. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino (2005-11-18). "The Waterbending Master". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 18. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Director: Dave Filoni; Writer: Aaron Ehasz (2005-12-02). "The Siege of the North Part II". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 20. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c d Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan (2006-03-17). "The Avatar State". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 1. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Director: Michael Dante DiMartino; Writer: Aaron Ehasz (2006-12-01). "The Crossroads of Destiny". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 20. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "The Crossroads of Destiny" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Aaron Ehasz (2007-09-21). "The Awakening". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 1. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ a b Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Joshua Hamilton (2007-10-05). "The Painted Lady". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 3. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b c Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: Tim Hedrick (2007-10-25). "The Puppetmaster". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 8. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writers: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (2008-07-19). "Sozin's Comet". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 58–61. Nickelodeon.
  16. ^ Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Joshua Hamilton (2007-10-25). "The Runaway". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 7. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Tim Hedrick (2005-10-21). "The Deserter". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 16. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ a b Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Tim Hedrick (2006-11-03). "Lake Laogai". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 17. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Joshua Hamilton (2006-05-26). "The Chase". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 8. Nickelodeon. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Robinson, Tasha (2006-03-07). "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (HTML). Sci-Fi Weekly. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-02-15. Smart, capable Katara is almost a generic anime heroine…
  21. ^ Pittarese, Frank (2006). "Nation Exploration". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 3. The 14-year-old is kind, brave, and passionate.
  22. ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Video Game". Nick.com. Nickelodeon. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  23. ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth" (Flash). Nickelodeon. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  24. ^ "IGN.com: Avatar: The Burning Earth" (HTML). IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  25. ^ "The Nickelodeon Shop — Avatar" (HTML). Nickelodeon. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  26. ^ Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga Volume 1 (HTML). Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga. Tokyopop. ISBN 1595328912. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
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